few questions
 

ok, after doing a 600 mile tour in the uk (lowestoft to lands end) i want to do more it wont be for a few years because i have uni but after im planning on doing
norwich (home)
ipswich
rotterdam
amsterdam
nordhorn
hanover
berlin
olsztyn
siauliai
tartu
narva
st petersburg
vyborg
oulu
tornio
lulea
skelleftea
harnosand
gavle
linkoping
jonkoping
helsingborg
odense
kiel
bremen
rotterdam
ipswich
home

my main questions are, snow. easy to bike in? has anyone toured in finland and the north countrys how did you cope with the cold? and peddle in the snow?

also what would i need todo that, im British, so would i need visa's and insurance?

any advice on a tour this long (4000 miles more or less)

thanks in advance

Snow and cold are not easy to tour in, or cycle in. If you aren't planning to do this tour for a few years, I'd suggest riding on cold snowy days this coming winter to see how you cope with the warmer British version of winter first.

What months are you thinking of going?

It all depends on what you are riding:)
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...9a3f632e90.jpg

I have to confess-- I was only trying this out at an event our ski patrol was hosting. One of the vendors brought up to the mountain for folks to demo. The 100 mm tires handled the snow and ice very well. It is a Surly Pugsly. However, I don't think I'd want to tour on it.

Actually, my wife and I planned a route starting in Nordkapp, Norway and heading south to Lisbon. We allowed 4 months, and planned on starting as early in summer as possible in Nordkapp. We did not anticipate any snow. We ran into some visa complications, and ended up starting in Lisbon and never did get as far north as Norway. I'm not sure why you would want to time it so you ran into sub-freezing weather. If you even started in early June, I think you could finish that route by October.

I think Machka's question needs to be the basis for your planning.

In cold Winter riding ,, a warm overnight indoors seems obvious .. and will take economic resources..


Though, ..

Time it so you reach the furthest north point on June 21st and It should be fine..

Got all summer to ride south then..

Yeah. I think you want to avoid snow seasons. It's unpredictable. I commute all winter long in Chicago and many snow conditions are tolerably rideable but not fun. And freshly rutted, unplowed, heavy snow is unrideable (like sand). Don't do it.

thanks everyone, its awhile off but i'll plan it hit it when its summer, i did want to see the northen lights, but i guess that could be another trip, unless i stay there a year somewhere

Northern lights are not a winter only occurrence.

But there's a LOT of light in the summer, so observing Northern Lights will be more difficult then.

If it were me, I'd time the northernmost part of the tour to either end of May / very early June; or late August. You'll miss the midnight sun season (technically, in the latitudes you're planning to visit, the sun does set every day even if it's for a brief moment only), but you'll also have a lot less mosquitoes to deal with.

--J

it wont be for afew years yet but i think that would be the plan, and i'll take lots of insect repellent, id probs be camping wild most of the time... is it allowed? and if so are there any dangers e.g bares?

Finland : No problem

Sweden: ditto. Specs are slightly different from one country to another, so check for details first. Here's the relevant Wikipedia page to get you started.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

THE most dangerous animal in Finland are ticks. Seriously. Tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease) and/or encephalitis are a real risk for anyone camping, especially in the coastal region (Oulu and especially Kemi/Tornio regions qualify). We do have bears and wolves, but they're extremely shy of people. We only have one venomous snake, the common viper.

--J

how can you prevent ticks?

Wear long pants and long-sleeved tops.
Tuck your pant legs into your socks.
Don't walk in long grass, bushes, etc. Stay to non-vegetation areas like paved roads.

There's a vaccine against TBE, but at least the variant offered here involves two shots within a couple of weeks (and one more after a year), so it may not be practical for a casual visitor. It's also relatively expensive.

In addition to what Machka said, when we're vacationing in known tick areas, we do daily checks systematically and use tick tweezers if needed. Daily checks are easier if you're travelling with someone.

--J